


Close to Me

by SingFortissimo



Category: Adam Lambert (Musician), Tommy Ratliff (Musician)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-05
Updated: 2010-10-05
Packaged: 2017-10-12 11:10:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/124235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SingFortissimo/pseuds/SingFortissimo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Young Teacher, the subject<br/>Of Schoolgirl fantasy....</p>
            </blockquote>





	Close to Me

_Young teacher,  
The subject,   
Of schoolgirl fantasy.  
She wants him,   
So badly,  
Knows what she wants to be…_

"Children, this is your new music teacher, Mr. Adam Lambert. Please, make him feel welcome." The principal smiled, obviously faking a smile to please the students. I could see through her disguise. She didn't even know why she worked here let alone why she was introducing our new teacher. I knew that she hated us all, and I could tell this was the last place she wanted to be at the time.

Sometimes, I admit I didn't even know why I was here. I was a senior in High School; shouldn't I be focusing on my curriculum so I can get out of this Hell? Yea. I should. Oh well. I looked down to my beat up Stratocaster and I smiled. This guitar was what kept me sane the entire time I had been here, and everyone knew it. "Thomas! Thomas, pay attention!" The principal's voice was shrill, and I felt like I could just die. I hated her so much… "I'm trying to make you feel comfortable with your new teacher, and, as always, you're off in your own little world! Pay attention!"

"Just go die somewhere. Leave the class and let him introduce himself. He doesn't need you to hold his hand." I hissed. Mr. Lambert giggled softly as the busty principal gasped and strutted off to her office.

"Well, class. I guess… Uh…" He paused and motioned to me, asking for my name.

"Thomas Joe Ratliff."

"Yes. Thomas here seems to understand what it's like to be tormented by screeching control freaks." The class laughed, and I kept my head down, fingering patterns on my precious Fender. I still hadn't looked at the face of the man in the doorway, and I was reluctant to. I didn't want to look at him for fear of liking him more than my old teacher, Ms. Feigh, who had run away to get married in the Bahamas. The only teacher I liked in this world abandoned my class, leaving us in the dust for some Bahaman hunk that cheated on her weeks after the wedding. Why was I surprised? "Thomas, can you please focus at least a little? I would like to get to know you a little more…" I sighed and looked up, but I shut my eyes in a fit of reluctance before Mr. Lambert could be seen.

"Yesir…" I mumbled, clenching my eyes shut. "And please… Don't call me Thomas. I would like Tommy better." I sighed.

"Then why did you introduce yourself as Thomas?"

"Because I'm an ignorant child who doesn't know any better…" I whispered.

"No, no, no, Tommy. We can't go thinking like that about ourselves… Think happy… All we need in this world is some love…" I peeked at him through my bangs, seeing his hands molded in a heart shape in front of him. Was our teacher a hippie?

"Whatever…" I sighed, resting my head on the body of the Fender, yawning. This was the last period of the day. I was so beyond exhausted I didn't want to accept this happening. This was too much to end the day with.

 

"So, class. I'd like to go through with a little activity to get to know you better, and then we can proceed with the lessons. I'd like to go around the room and have you all introduce yourselves, then tell me a little about yourself." He pointed to someone on the opposite end of the class. "Starting with…. You."

My mind instantly muted the goings on around me, and I was in my own little word as usual, then I could feel the entire class looking at me. Was I zoned that long? "Tommy, it's your turn to introduce yourself."

"But you already know me."

"But I don't know anything about you."

"Fine." I let the Fender hang on the strap, and I stood, sucking in a deep breath. "My name is Tommy Joe Ratliff. I was born and raised here in California, and I play the guitar for the school band. Happy?"

"What grade are you?"

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. I am."

"Senior." I defiantly sat back down, glaring at Mr. Lambert. That was the first time I actually looked at him. He was actually…. Gorgeous. He had black hair that hung in his eyes, and a tall frame. His eyes were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, like little balls of ice, yet they were warm. It was… Alluring.

"Thank you, class. Now, I can introduce myself. I'm Adam Lambert. I moved here from San Diego just a few weeks ago. I majored in Theatre and Music at a college in San Diego. It really was a beautiful place."

"How old are you!?" Someone blurted out.

"23." He was 5 years my senior…. Of course.

"Are you dating anyone?"

"No."

"Are you… Gay?!"

"Happily."

The class was astonished, and I couldn't help but smile. This man had guts, and I loved it.

"So. Why are you working for the school?"

"I love music and I wanted to work in the musical department."

"Are you a robot like the rest of the faculty here?" I grumbled.

"What?"

"Are you here to follow the rules and only follow rules, or are you here to have fun and live your life?"

"What does it look like, Tommy?" He giggled. "I'm here to live life the best I can, and a job with you guys is all that I really wanted when I moved in here, and I can tell that I'm going to love it." Well played, Lambert. He smiled to the class before picking up his conducting baton, then throwing it in the back towards the drum kit. "Too… Normal." He grumbled, looking to the broken baton in the back, sighing softly. What would he do next? Conduct with his head? "Tommy, throw me some drumsticks from behind you."

"Ok?" I tossed a pair up to him, and he clicked them together.

"One, two, three, play!" and with that, we began to play something by Led Zeppelin, as we had been working on for the past month. We sounded pretty good with the drumstick beat. I could tell that I would like this man more than I first thought…

~~

 _Inside her  
there's longing  
This girls an open page  
Book marking   
she's so close now  
This girl is half his age_

 _**(Adam's POV)** _

There was something about him. Something about that senior that got to me. There was a sort of fatal attraction pulling me closer to him. Before I even knew it, class was over. Tommy approached my seat and looked at me sort of blankly. His hair was spiked in the back, long and two-toned in the front. His eyes were a deep coffee colour, alluring and sparkling in the classroom lighting.

"Something's different about you, Lambert…" Tommy whispered, looking me over. I felt my heart skip a beat when he made eye contact with me. Fuck, Adam! He's five years your junior. Get your mind out of the gutter, you fucking pervert!

"Wh-Whaddya mean?" I choked.

"Your personality. You're not like any teacher I know. You're not normal, Lambert. Tell me the truth about yourself, and I'll tell you my truth. His eyes were so strict, yet they were fucking beautiful.

"You want to know.. My past?" He nodded. "No. Only if you tell yours first."

"Deal." He sighed, looking down to the seat by my desk, smiling a little as he reclined in it. It was a pretty sweet classroom I'd gotten.

"Well… I grew up in the shittiest of shit. The worst part of Los Angeles to start a family. To this day, I wonder what the hell my parents were thinking. I was raised with a sister, her name is Lisa, and she was the only positive influence in my life… My dad was a drunkard, mom a coke fiend." I sighed softly, feeling pity for this small, broken boy, and the need to pull him into my arms and say it would all be okay took me over right then.

"Lisa was killed in a drive-by when I was 12. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. They killed her and 3 other innocents that day. Two years later, Dad sliced Mom up pretty bad. She bled to death on the kitchen floor. He hung himself over her body, leaving a note to me. All it said was 'You were a shit kid. You fucking earned this one, Thomas." His eyes began to drip tears onto my desk, and I felt emotions tearing into me. How could someone hurt this fragile boy so much?

"From that point, I sort of raised myself through high school. I went through the foster system, but it was no help. It sent me through a spiraling state of depression. I began to carve the names of the families I 'belonged to' in my leg…" He pulled up the leg of his khaki shorts, revealing a long list of slashes and scribbles. "When the family failed me and I left, I scratched their name out. Masochistic habits from childhood don't fade." He took a deep breath and pulled off his jacket, revealing slashes and deep cuts all over both porcelain white arms. "All of these were within the 2 months after Lisa was killed."

"Shit, Tommy…" I whispered, clenching the corners of my desk.

"Yea… I've been ridiculed through middle school and high school for the cuts, and admitting to be bisexual when I was in eighth grade didn't help at all." He sighed and looked to me again. "Things have been kind of dark in my life since that night…. September 17th, six years ago. It's amazing how one thing can fuck you up so bad you can barely manage." He giggled softly before stopping to just stare blankly at me. "There ya go. That's my fucked up life. I believe you owe me a fucked up life story of your own now, Lambert."

~~

 _Her friends are  
so jealous  
You know how bad girls get  
Sometimes it's not so easy  
To be the   
teachers pet _

 

 _**(Adam's POV)** _

Just hearing the past of this small boy ripped me apart. How could someone hurt Tommy to this point? He was such a sweetie, or he seemed to be. So now it was my turn? Huh, what should I do…? I can't think of anything that was so bad it would interest him…

"Uhm… Well… I was born in Indianapolis… I moved to California when I was four. I've had a pretty good family life, I guess. No big issues, I mean… Well, my brother could be a jerk sometimes, but hey. Siblings are the way they are." He looked at me for a second and smiled. "The only issues I've really had are with relationships. One of my boyfriends cheated on me, with my ex boyfriend of course." Tommy's eyes grew wide, and he laughed aloud.

"You must be joking! Your boyfriend _cheated_ on you with your _ex?_ He cracked up. I released a sigh and looked to him blankly.

"Have you ever been cheated on?"

"No." He chirped between laughs.

"Then I suggest you shut up. It hurts to even think about it, Tommy." He stopped and looked to be standing at attention, caught in a trance, obeying my words. I could get used to this.   
"Uhm… Please, continue." He whispered.

"Well… Brad cheated on me with Cassidy, then I went back to my first boyfriend, Drake. He hadn't changed at all. He was still a drunk and a complete waste of oxygen and space. I hate myself for going back, but what can I say? I was desperate for affection. I needed someone to say they loved me and hold me tight when I cried."

Tommy cringed a little, and I gave him an inquisitive glance. "Sorry, sorry. I just… Don't like the thought of you crying…" He whispered, lowering his head.

"It's alright. I hope you never have to see it. That's why I moved here. I needed the hell away from Drake, Cass, Brad…My old life. Too much drama, ya know?" I sighed, and he smiled.

"I understand…."

"Yea… Well,,, I just moved here and decided to start a new life. I just needed to do something different, something… Fun."

"So you decided to work with teenagers?" He snickered.

"Yea. You guys are interesting. You're…. not what I'm used to. Different is good…" I laughed.

"You're the first person to ever say that…." Tommy whispered.

"I am? That's interesting… Now go home, ok, Tommy? We'll pick up tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright." He waved at me as he grabbed his Fender and left my classroom, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

~

Weeks passed since my first day, and I discovered that all of my other music classes just weren't as interesting as Tommy's period, 6th hour. I loved teaching his class. They were enthusiastic… I smiled as they all walked into the room, taking their places and readying their instruments and warming up vocals.

Tommy sat in his seat and looked blankly at me, and one of the girls walked up to him, slapping the back of his head. He jumped and turned around, hissing some profanities at her and swinging a wild punch, missing her by a centimeter, if even that much. "What the fuck has gotten into you, Ratliff? You've fucking dropped all of us!" The blond screamed. I felt myself shiver and I pretended I didn't know what was happening. "Well, ya know what!? If you wanna drop us all because of your desperate wish to fuck Mr. Lambert, go ahead, Thomas! FUCK YOU!"

I felt my jaw drop, and Tommy stood up. "Fuck this shit, Alice! Fuck you, fuck you fake friends, and fuck this class!" He screamed, throwing his guitar into its case, picking it up, and storming out of the class. I looked around the class and pointed to the most responsible I could find.

"You. Call the office now. Get a sub down here. I need to go get Tommy." He nodded as he ran to my desk as I shot out of the room, chasing Tommy. He skidded around a corner, and I saw the school door swing open, and he rushed outside. I followed him a bit further before I saw him get into a car, and he slammed his head on the steering wheel. I halted next to the car and looked inside of it, feeling my spirits drop. Tears slid down his cheeks, and I knocked on the window, inhaling deeply.

Tommy jumped and grumbled. "Whaddya want."

"Tommy. What the hell is going on?"

"They hate me. They fucking hate me." He sighed.

"What? How? Why?!"

"They say… I… I've been hanging around you too much. They say I neglect them because I've grown attached to you… They got jealous. I spend every minute after every school day talking to you, getting extra lessons from you… They just don't accept it." I sighed and shook my head slightly.

"Tommy… I… I'm sorry."

"You have no reason to be… Can I tell you something? Just between us?"

"Sure…" I smiled, gazing into his chocolate eyes.

"Adam… I… I think I love you."

~~

 _Temptation  
Frustration  
So bad it makes him cry  
Wet bus stop,   
She's waiting  
His car is   
Warm and dry_

 **_(Tommy's POV)_ **

I couldn't believe how easily I had spilled that to Adam… I couldn't believe his response, either…

 _"Adam… I… I think I love you." I felt the extra tears roll down my cheeks, and I looked up at him, feeling empty inside. Was he going to reject me like I had expected?_

"Tommy.. Are you playing or are you telling me the full truth." He whispered as he knelt by my car door.

"Why would I lie about something like that, Adam…" I whispered, and I heard a tinge of pain in my voice. He looked at me, and his lovely blue eyes sparkled in the light.

"N-No… I guess you wouldn't…" He sighed. "T-Tommy… Why did you tell me this, even though your friends are ridiculing you over it?"

"Because if they were real friends, they wouldn't ridicule me like they did. I love you, Adam. Nothing can change that, either." I felt a blush creep onto my face, and Adam smiled.

"T-Tommy… I… I love you too. But.. How is this going to work?"

"I don't know…"

How could we hide this from the rest of the school? We shared a romantic bond now, but it had to be kept secret. I couldn't think of anything at all, and I kept getting distracted while trying to think. It was just a waste, when I thought about it. Why should I try. I felt a few tears slide down my face as I stepped out my front door, finding rain dump down on me. I shivered as I looked at my car that had broken down on the way home the day before, after my talking with Adam, spilling everything.

I cussed to myself as I pulled my hood up, glaring at the sky. I hated rain. It always reminded me of Lisa, and the night she died. She loved the rain, and that's why she was out. She was walking in the rain, enjoying the night, and she was shot. I couldn't help it. I screamed up at the sky and slammed my hand into the brick walling of my house, feeling the skin slice and watching blood drip down onto the concrete. I questioned for a moment if I had broken my knuckles, but truly, I didn't give a shit. I shook the blood off of my hand and began to walk in the direction of the high school. My mp3 blasted Manson in my ears, and I blocked out the world, until I felt something creeping up behind me.

I shot around and saw a dark blue Mustang parked behind me, and a familiar face behind the wheel. I smiled and turned around, walking slowly back to the car and stopping, looking into the window. "Adam. I didn't know your car was so beautiful…"

He giggled softly and unlocked the door. "Yea… need a ride?" I nodded and opened the door, sliding into the soft leather seats.

"Thanks, Adam… I really fuckin hate this kinda weather."

"Are you kidding? I love it." He chuckled softly.

"It has a bad psychological link with me…" I sighed, leaning my head back against the seat.

"O-oh. I'm sorry." He whispered as he turned into the school parking lot and into his faculty parking spot. The Mustang was stopped, and Adam took off his seatbelt and opened the door. I grabbed his shoulder and spun him around, looking into his eyes. "Tommy? What're you doing?" I slammed my lips against his, and realized how soft his lips were. I smirked against him and slid my tongue into his mouth. I had never tasted something so sweet in my life. I guess in a way, it was sugar coated cyanide…

~~

 _Loose talk in  
The classroom  
To hurt they  
Try and try  
Strong words in   
The staff room  
The accusations fly _

**_(Adam's POV)_ **

"Mr. Lambert. We need to speak with you in the staff room." A voice hummed over the intercom. "We have a substitute for your class." Oh fuck. What had I done? I got up from my seat and waved a quick goodbye to my second period class before stumbling down the hallway so I could get to the staff room and get this all straightened out before third period. I stuck my head in the door, and the principal and office staff began to stare blankly at me.

"Mr. Lambert. We have reason to believe that you are having an affair with one of your students." The principal grumbled.

"What? What makes you think that?" I bit my lip, gazing back to her.

"Another one of your students came into my office this morning and told me that she saw you and Thomas Ratliff kissing in your car this morning."

"Wh… What?! That's a lie!" I felt my hands trembling. Fuck, I was terrible at lying.

"Really then? Was it just a coincidental encounter with a long lost twin that our student had? Mind you, this kid is not a liar. She is one of the most reliable in the student body."

"Ok? Is this supposed to change my mind? I didn't kiss a student. Never have, never plan on it."

"Mr. Lambert. We have you on the security cameras kissing this boy. Admit it and face lesser charges or go to court with a pedophilia charge! It's your choice!" The principal stomped her heel on the ground, trying to add emphasis to her words.

"It wasn't a student. It was my boyfriend. He works across the street from the school. He helps me bring everything in before school, then he walks to work. Is it such a sin to kiss my boyfriend?" I hissed.

"On these grounds, it is, Mr. Lambert!"

"Then whaddya expect me to do? Dump him so you can control my fuckin life and turn me into another fuckin staff robot?!"

"Mr. Lambert! Language, please!" She tried to calm me down, but fuck, this pissed me off!

"Ya know what? No! Fuck you. I'm not gonna be turned into a goddamn robot, now let me teach my fuckin class!" I turned around and walked out of the room, leaving the principal awestruck behind me.

My class was half asleep when I got back to my room, and the substitute turned around to look at me. "Mr. Lambert? They told me you wouldn't be back until 4th period."

"They lied. Now get out of my classroom." I hissed, walking over to my desk, glaring at the blond man. He quickly stood, staring blankly at me before scurrying out of the classroom. I sat at my desk, taking a sip of the herbal tea in my coffee mug, then smiling to my class, who was all seemingly awestruck by my treatment of the sub. "Now, class, where were we?"

~  
 ** _(Tommy's POV)_**

Today was terrible. I wasted most of it worrying about Adam after that intercom call. I felt horrible. I knew that it was my fault. I got him in trouble. This is why that kiss was sugar coated cyanide, when I thought back to that moment. It was oh so worth it, but I didn't know if the treatment of Adam was. I bit down on my lip as I slammed my head down on the fake wooden desk.

"Thomas, head up in class. No sleeping." The teacher hissed as she continued to writing long, calculus expressions on the whiteboard. The kid next to me turned and snickered.

"Yea. Save the sleeping for your extra time with Mr. Lambert." I clenched my fists and stood, feeling rage boil inside of me.

"Fuck you, Leo!!!" I howled as my fist collided with his cheek. I heard a crack coming from him, and I think I may have broken his jaw. I bent over and grabbed my bag, then walked out of the classroom, right in the middle of a lesson, leaving the teacher to scream at me.

"Thomas!! That behavior is not acceptable in this school! Go to the office right now!" The buxom blond screamed at me, pointing towards the office.

"Fuck you too… I'm going to Mr. Lambert's room, then going home." I muttered as the classroom door slammed behind me. Oh shit, I was screwed now. How would I explain this to Adam? Meh, I guess I would think of that later. Now wasn't the time.

I listened to my converse squeak against the linoleum as I sped to Adam's room to get my Fender so I could get the fuck out of here. Besides, I needed to talk to him for a few minutes about the call over the intercom. I felt like I could die. I knew that the call was all my fault, and he probably came up with some bullshit lie on the spot, but that wasn't the point. I had gotten my love in trouble, and I needed to make this right.

I didn't even see why this was such a problem, but I guess in the world of the bitchy administration, it was a big problem.

Even if the student was eighteen and legal to take care of himself, it was a controversy. I guess its simple; don't get work intermingled with play, but I truly didn't care. This was none of the administration's business, period. They didn't need to know about my life outside of school, and like I said. I was _eighteen_. I could handle myself, right? Right.

They didn't have the right to tell me what I could or couldn't do, and maybe that assumption was what pissed me off so much. I was my own person, not a product of school administration like most of the students. I turned down an empty looking hall and finally walked through a door, looking to Adam. He looked up at me sort of emptily, and I sighed, motioning for him to follow me outside. I had to talk to him about earlier. He needed to know that I was sorry for getting him in trouble.

"Tommy? Why are you here? You should be in class…" he whispered as we got to his car.

"Adam… You don't understand. I had to get out of there… I punched another kid and broke his jaw. I told the teacher to fuck off… I needed out!" I whimpered.

"Tommy… Why!? Why did you do that?"

"The teacher yelled at me for sleeping in class… and… One of the kids said I needed to save the 'sleeping' for my extra time with you… So I punched him."

"Tommy… You can't do that…"

"And I can't go around getting you in trouble, either, Adam. I heard them call you to the office. I can't let that happen again because of me…"

"Tommy. It's ok. I lied and told them that you were my boyfriend who worked across the street. Relax. They bought it." He whispered reassuringly. "Now do you want me to take you home?" I nodded and looked pathetically up at Adam, who had his hand on my shoulder. "Ok. Let me go get the jackass sub back in my room, alright?" I nodded and stood by the Mustang, waiting for him patiently.

~

He paced out minutes later, smiling softly with his keys in his hand. "Screw taking you home. I took the rest of the day off. Said my brother got sick. They fell for it. Let's go get lunch." I looked to my wristwatch and saw it was now 12:57, about the time that I would've had a horrible school provided lunch anyways, and I smiled to Adam. "Italian?"

"Hell yea." I smiled, slipping into the passenger's seat, throwing the Stratocaster in the back. His car was still the most comfortable thing in the world. I loved it. He looked over to me and grabbed my left hand with his right, gripping it warmly. We had taken off down the road, and merged onto the freeway only 16 minutes later.

"Tommy…?"

"Huh?"

"I don't understand why you did that. I mean, why not laugh it off? Why risk this and get yourself in trouble?"

"It just hit me wrong. All this bullshit surrounding one little kiss. I… I don't understand." I hissed softly. "It just makes no fuckin sense…" I coughed as we pulled into a parking lot. An old looking Italian restaurant sat in front of us, and I smiled. My sister used to take me to this place when I was little…. This would be interesting…

Adam stepped out of the car and opened my door for me, smiling. "After you…" He pointed his arm towards the door, and I got out, taking his soft hand in my calloused one as we walked into the restaurant. We sat in a small corner booth and spoke of school and work, life, family, everything of the sorts, and it was, all in all, an amazing time…

~~

 

 _Its no use  
He sees her  
He starts to   
Shake and cough  
Just like the   
Old man in  
That book by   
Nabakov_

 **_(Adam's POV)_ **

Tommy ended up crashing on my couch that night, and truly, it didn't surprise me in the slightest.

Before I even knew it, the year was almost over. I had only had one run-in with the school administrators, and Tommy had only broken 3 people's jaws. I shouldn't be proud of that, but, well… He had more self control than he claimed to have had.

His class was still the best of them all, still the most enthusiastic, and the most musically talented. Tommy and I had gone further than ever expected, and every day spent with him made me love him that much more. He was the perfect man, and I loved him, regardless of what he may do. Even if the school board disapproved of our love.

~

I sat in the classroom, staring emptily at my class. I didn't mean to zone out like that, but hey, it wasn't my fault. I couldn't help it. Tommy was looking at me blankly before he got up. The rest of the class had been goofing off and playing their instruments, but Tommy was off in his own little world, just like me. He was soon by my side, and I saw a little smile play at his chapped lips. He was so beautiful….

He knelt by my desk and soon sat cross legged on the floor, staring up at me. His chocolate eyes warmed my soul, and I smiled down at him. "Yes? Is there something you need or are you just bothering me?"

"Just bothering you…" He giggled, placing one hand up on my thigh. I bit my lip lightly and looked away from him.

"Are you sure you aren't trying to kill me, Tommy?"

"Maybe, maybe not…" He grinned cheesily and placed his head on my knee, rubbing circles on my inner thigh. Dammit, Tommy. Why do you do these things to me? I slid down underneath the table to where Tommy sat, after looking around at the entire class, making sure that no one would come over to us. Tommy smirked and plastered his lips to mine, and I felt shivers slide down my back. I loved him so much…

"Tommy, Baby, not here. It's too dangerous. We're only two days away from the end of the year… Only days from your graduation… Wait, Baby, wait…" I whispered against his ear, trying to calm him down. He sighed and rested his forehead against mine and inhaled deeply.

"Ok, Baby, for you… But we have to do something tonight, then, okay?" He whispered into my ear, then he kissed the underside of my jaw.

"Promise. Now go play, okay?" I felt a small smile play at my lips, and he smiled as well. He was so cute… I watched as he stood and paced back over to his seat and started to pluck a few chords before leading into Jack's Lament from The Nightmare Before Christmas. I smiled and began to hum along before I couldn't help but sing along silently;

 _" There are few who'd deny, at what I do I am the best  
For my talents are renowned far and wide   
When it comes to surprises in the moonlit night   
I excel without ever even trying   
With the slightest little effort of my ghostlike charms   
I have seen grown men give out a shriek   
With the wave of my hand, and a well-placed moan   
I have swept the very bravest off their feet _

Yet year after year, it's the same old cheer   
And I grow so weary of the sound of screams   
And I, Jack, the Pumpkin King   
Have grown so tired of the same old thing

Oh, somewhere deep inside of these bones   
An emptiness began to grow   
There's something out there, far from my home   
A longing that I've never known  
I'm a master of fright, and a demon of light

And I'll scare you right out of your pants   
To a guy in Kentucky, I'm Mister Unlucky   
And I'm known throughout England and France   
And since I am dead, I can take off my head   
To recite Shakespearean quotations   
No animal nor man can scream like I can   
With the fury of my recitations

But who here would ever understand   
That the Pumpkin King with the skeleton grin   
Would tire of his crown, if they only understood   
He'd give it all up if he only could

Oh, there's an empty place in my bones   
That calls out for something unknown   
The fame and praise come year after year   
Does nothing for these empty tears"

The class stopped, staring blankly at me for a few moments before applauding. I stopped and looked to them, not realizing that I was singing at an audible volume. I felt a slight blush creep onto my face when I saw Tommy's cocky smirk. Oh my Rah, really? He was trying to bother me, and damn, was it working!

He clapped slowly and looked to the clock, seeing we only had but a minute left in class, and he took the strap off the Fender, sticking it and the guitar back into its case. The rest of the class buzzed excitedly by the door, but Tommy was by my side, smiling.

"You never sang for us before…"

"I know. I'm embarrassed because of it, too."

"Why? Your voice is beautiful…" He whispered in singsong. I smiled as the gentle Concert B hum of the bell rang through the class and the students flooded out. I realized then that I would never see some of them again after tomorrow, because in 2 days, it would all be wasted away at graduation, and then it would be summer, and the beginning of a new world for Tommy and I, our real relationship to begin in a matter of 48 hours.

We had decided that immediately after graduation, we would pack our bags and fly to Hawaii for a month together, the start of our new lives together. We had already booked a hotel on Oahu for a week, on Waikiki Beach. Then, we headed to Kaui, then Maui for the last 2 weeks. A month on sunlit beaches, surfing, sunbathing, maybe getting some colour into Tommy's ghostly skin. He smiled and gripped his guitar tightly with one hand, and my hand in his other. We waltzed out to my car and got on the roads, soon pulling into my driveway. He watched me intently as my car halted and I unlocked the door as a gentle drizzle began to drip smoothly onto the concrete. He smiled, and I knew he would miss this weather while in Hawaii.

~

He placed his head gently onto my lap and smiled warmly up at me as I dropped a piece of popcorn onto his nose, laughing. "What're you doing?"

"Waiting for the movie to start…" He looked to my TV and sighed. "What movie is it, anyways?"

"Not a movie. It's the DVD release of a play."

"A play, really?"

"Actually, a musical." I smirked at him and his eyes grew wide with fear.

"Damn you…"

"Hey! Wicked is good! Meanie!" I giggled.

"Whatev—is that girl green?" His eyes widened for a second, and I laughed.

"Yes, Tommy… Elphaba is green. Deal with it." He sighed and turned his head, watching the screen closely, examining the movements of the actors and actresses moving majestically on the stage. He ended up falling asleep shortly after that, and I smiled, stroking his head softly and watching the play closely, reciting the words and singing along with the music, feeling myself unable to wait for the next 2 days of school, unable to wait for the start of my new life with my new love.

~~

Epilogue~

 _(Adam's POV)_

I sat in one of the last few rows of the outdoor stadium, watching my students lined up together, waiting for their names to be called. Only a few of them remained waiting, and I smiled as I heard the familiar name I loved called. "Thomas Joseph Ratliff!" Tommy got up, slightly embarrassed, and he walked forward, and I allowed myself to cheer for him. I was so proud of my Baby for making it through everything and actually passing high school, what with all the doubt he had when we had first met.

The students cheered as Tommy accepted his diploma and walked off the stage, heading back to where I stood, and he hugged me tightly. "It's finally over, Baby. You're free…" I whispered into his ear, and he grabbed my hand.

"It feels wonderful…" He smiled and grabbed my hand, already pulling me out of the area of the crowded graduation and to my car, smiling as we got in, ready to go pack for Hawaii.

~

We were sitting in the plane, only hours later, looking over the Pacific Ocean as we flew to our paradise. Tommy snuggled close to me, asleep on my shoulder within seconds. He was so cute when he slept. I wanted to lean over and kiss him, but something held me back. Maybe it was the fact we hadn't told anyone of our relationship, or perhaps it was the fact that I was exhausted as well, but none of that mattered. We were almost on the beach, almost able to sleep on Waikiki Beach, almost ready for our first real luau.

The captain's voice rang softly over the intercom, and I smiled at his words. "We should be landing in Hawaii in about 20 minutes. Please enjoy the remainder of your ride, and have a wonderful time." Hawaii…. Freaking Hawaii was 20 minutes away. Tommy shook himself awake and looked over to me inquisitively, yet he still looked utterly exhausted.

"What's going on…?"

"We're almost there…. You can go back to sleep Baby. I'll wake you up when the plane lands…"

"O-ok…" He yawned and was out again in a matter of seconds, and I kept looking out the window, longing to get out into the warmth and onto the soft sand of the Hawaiian beaches, to see the crystal clear ocean waters below up close, set foot in the water and relaxing for the first time in nine grueling months.

~

The plane landed and Tommy and I were racing each other to the hotel, smiling childishly. Even though I was five years his senior, I was less mature than he was, sadly. We skidded to a halt, side by side at the hotel desk, waiting for our keys. We were in our room only seconds later, only to find that we had a flat screen TV, Jacuzzi tub, and the most amazing bed on the planet. The view was perfect, too. The ideal view of Waikiki beach was visible from our window and balcony. I thought for a second that we had gotten the honeymoon suite, but I couldn't remember what was reserved, but really, who cared?

We sat on the balcony in lounge chairs, smiling at each other before Tommy got up and sat on my lap, giving me a soft kiss. "I love you Adam…."

"I love you too, Baby."


End file.
